


Let the Marigolds Grow

by losthound



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies), X-Men (Movieverse), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: After Apocalypse, Canon Continuation, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventually will be mature, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, I'm a slow build kinda guy, M/M, Rebuilding, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-07-19 14:31:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7365298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/losthound/pseuds/losthound
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"If your heart is a volcano, how shall you expect flowers to bloom?"<br/>-Khalil Gibran</p><p>What happened between the defeat of En Sabah Nur and the rebuilding of the school?  The group of surviving mutants learn how to survive together so they can all get home. They have to keep each other from falling apart, many of them for the first time, some of them not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Circle

**Author's Note:**

> EDIT 7/16: This story was started before the recent tragedy in Turkey, my latest chapter has cut this setting short so the time here will be even more brief than originally intended. 
> 
> May every life lost rest in peace and be in our hearts

    

 

_“Let go Jean! Jean, let go!”_

The power of the phoenix inside her rallied, as she walked forward- supporting herself impossibly on only the air provided.

She soon met the gaze of En Sabah Nur, the maestro of the apocalypse around them. His eyes held only calm confidence, he was sure this would be over soon, and he would shortly find his new home inside the skull of the most powerful mind available. He wondered now, who’s exactly was that?

Jean wasn’t afraid. Not anymore, not like she thought she would be. Her own eyes reflected the blaze building inside, and a seriousness that put her beyond her age. She felt herself being caught in the sights of a secondary plan, she would be a strong alternative if En Sabah Nur failed.

She let go.

Her nightmare became truth, not only a dream but a prophecy. Her throat ripped into a primal scream that unleashed the phoenix, in all its flaming glory. A stream of fire for all her limbs, making her arms into wings, making her eyes into the windows to another world. In front of her, the apocalypse man began to wither away under the heat.

A purple sphere began to form around him.

Beast yelled, somewhere from below, “he’s gonna get away!”

He smashed the wall that held Scott back, and within seconds the boy’s glasses were off and his beams blasted into the sphere, testing its strength.

There was a shock of lightning without any thunder or rain in its company. Ororo controlled the energy like a puppet, her the master.

Ororo, who had a poster of the hero Mystique on her wall, the only decor in her home that she cared to display. To see the blue woman, strangled to near death- she had held bated breath and sat in shock, waiting- to be rewarded with the sight of breath when she had been dropped. It was a second chance. Now she could see that the mutant from nowhere was no leader, he was no idol- not the god that he deemed himself to be. He was just a man, a mutant who would strip powers from any other mutants that caught his eye, anyone _interesting_ or powerful. He was not worthy of followers, he was not someone to be worshiped.  

She threw all she had left into the bolts she sent to him. Would that it be enough. Despite all he was not, En Sabah Nur was indeed powerful. He was getting away. She let out a scream and gave what felt like the rest of her life force- she hoped that she could hold it.

The metal continued to rain down, the phoenix fire, scott’s lasers, Ororo’s lightning. He would not win. He could not, he was alone after all, and they were so, so not alone. They each held a place with each other, and they could feel it now. They had a place with the Professor, at the school, in the world. Right now, they were saving the world. They were saving each other, and themselves.

En Sabah Nur was exposed, his sphere of energy now defeated. It didn’t take long for his centuries old armor to burn away, leaving his flesh that soon followed.

_“All...shall be….revealed….”_

 

His skeleton collapsed and soon disintegrated under the continuing combined power from them all.

They all let go at once, energy drained. Erik and Ororo lowered themselves slowly, at the same time, nodding to each other. They had made the right choice. They were both almost too late, but decided at the last minute on chance of redemption they were offered.

Jean still stood above them, slowly moving back to solid ground. She stared out at the world. Something inside her felt healed, fixed- there wasn’t that dangerous and urgent pressure she felt the other night in her dreams.

Hank below was the first one to speak.

“Charles!” He growled, and took a long jump up through the missing wall on the second level of the house. Scott followed, though not as swiftly as the blue-haired man. The storm maker and metal mover stood outside, gazing up in the direction of the others. They were unsure of their welcome, each for their separate reasons.

Ororo was a stranger, and until the last moment an enemy- a cohort of the force that nearly killed them all.

Erik had a long and complicated history with them all. He was a beloved friend and the source of so much pain. He played an unforgettable role in this whole happening. He might have been able to stop En Sabah Nur before he had done so much damage to Charles- though unlikely. Once he had been within the false god’s circle, it would have been impossible to break out with such impulsivity, without any aid at all. He suspects he would have been struck down embarrassingly quickly.

Even still, he once again chose the side of destruction and murder. He seemed to be easily swayed to such, when his pain was tapped into and properly exploited. He neglected the serenity inside himself, and realized if he pulled from his core- that he didn’t need it. Not if his goal was to destroy the world.

Truthfully, if he was to be a person, he shouldn’t have been convinced to bury his serenity so easily, but with the pain inside at unsurmountable levels, he saw no better choice. Left alone to his own devices, he would have surely not lived through yet another great and powerful heartbreak.

Cuba. Washington. It has been 20 years since there had been any good memories between them. Laughter. Camaraderie. Shared meals. Hard training. Becoming the best, together. It has been 10 years since the tense, pretense of peace chess game between Charles and him. At the time, they both had known after they were off that plane it was very likely for them to be at each other’s throats again. It was one of those memories he had tucked away. 10 years since he tried to kill Raven, and dropped a stadium on his best friend. Since he had denounced humans and been made the face of public enemy number one. Since he disappeared. Since Charles _let_ him disappear. 10 years since he left America , and crossed to Europe. Where he eventually met Magda.    

Where they had eventually had a beautiful daugher.

Nina.

_Nina._

 

He felt a stab to his heart, and he grasped at his chest, falling to a single knee.

“Are you alright?” Ororo came to his side. “Are you hurt? Do you need help?”

“Don’t we all?” He responded. His throat was dry, his voice rough. He could hear some of the conversation above. There were panicked voices.

_“Charles! Charles!”_

_“He’s gone! We’re losing him.”_

_“We lost him- Charles!”_

Erik closed his eyes, willing his heart to be still. He felt a roll of nausea on its way up from his stomach-

_“No we didn’t. I still feel him.”_

He let his eyes open, and he let out a bated breath. He thought he still might vomit from the stress of it all. In the end he was right, and he doubled over where he stood, barely missing his boots as his stomach forced up only its own acid. It’s not like he’s been eating. He can’t remember the last time- oh yes. His last meal was his last work lunch, the day of the earthquake. The day he used his powers, to save someone’s life. The life of a human. Charles's would have been so proud.

His last food was the lunch Magda had made for him. He heaved, continued until he had no breath, and heaved some more, until his gut was sore and his throat raw. Not much at all had come up. He felt instantly more exhausted, but some of his wired up nerves had been released. He felt a gaze on him, and he looked to the side. Ororo was looking at the ground rather, so he moved his eyes up and they landed on his favorite blue figure.

“So, are you going to come up here or not?” Raven had her eyes on him, sounding stern, though her eyes held sympathy. “You too,” she added, looking at Ororo.

The two outsiders looked at each other and nodded yet again, just once, before slowly moving up to where Raven stood.

Erik followed her slowly, while Ororo walked behind him. They moved until they were joined in the circle around Charles. Everyone was here. There seemed to be no casualties. The teleporter has woken up, though he was being just as quiet as everyone else.

Charles was still unconscious, his chest moving with his now steady breaths. Around his eyes were darker than they should be, exhaustion and stress wearing on him, even when asleep. There were scorch marks upon his temples, from the pure energy that was pulsing through him at the center of the pyramid. He was bald. His hair fell out, just as much as it was burned off. On some parts of his head there were burn marks, but not as profound as at his temples.

Erik’s gut was heavy with guilt. He did this, really. If En Sabah Nur had not used him to highjack his way into Charles-

If he had turned the brute away-

Only, he knew that he would have never. He always took every opportunity to have revenge, no matter who stood in the way. One of his bigger flaws, he thought, and definitely not the only one. He wondered how and if Charles could forgive him yet again. One day, there had to be a limit reached. He couldn’t keep tearing out the man’s heart and expect it to still beat for him. This might be the end of the road for them, truly.

If that were the case, would everyone be tolerating his presence so well?

 

Hank has hardly looked to him, but then again, his focus has been on the professor. Mystique has been generous enough with her attention considering the circumstances, though she always has been to him.

The other telepath in the room, the girl of fire: Jean. He didn’t know her, or her him. She still gave him a look as though she saw a part of him that was hidden, similar to the look Charles would reserve for him, even after he would destroy so much. Scott, with the glasses and the others didn’t give him much thought, except for Peter, the silver haired boy that had appeared with Raven outside his magnetic cage. Erik would catch him staring, out the corner of his eyes and a couple of times just straight on. He hadn’t the mind to say anything to the younger man about it. He believed he has rather been cruel enough lately.

“How long is he going to be like this?” Scott was the first one to ask the question that they all were asking themselves.

“It’s...hard to say,” Hank answered. “His psychic energy has all but been diminished, the mind is like a muscle. It can be strengthened like one, but it can also be overworked. Overworked should likely be considered an understatement.”

Silence met his not-quite-an-answer answer.

“Charles is in a deep sleep, he’s already begun the recovery process. He’s of a healthy mind and he heals quickly, hopefully that will work to his advantage.”

Charles heals quickly. Of course, that’s a piece of information Hank would know about him, that Erik wouldn’t. He never stuck around long enough to see, it was always an abstract concept to him that he imagined would be true. He didn’t have any interest in sitting audience to the struggles that usually came with recovery.

Like physical therapy after a bullet to the spine. Like relearning how to live your own life. Like-

Many of the consequences Erik’s damage usually caused.

A whisper in the back of his mind told him that he shouldn’t stay. He should leave now, before Charles wakes up. If he left, he wouldn’t have to see the pain in the other man’s eyes, or the sense of yet another betrayal. He wouldn’t have to try to explain, but it’s not like he ever had to explain to the telepath in the first place, his motivations.

He could hardly bare the thought of his mind being so exposed to the man. Erik didn’t want to share his pain. He didn’t want to see anymore of anyone else’s pain- let alone Charles’.

If he walked away he could walk into a numb life. Start over. Again. Not in Europe. Somewhere without so many ghosts, somewhere warm. Though can he really consider the ghosts, when it’s him that is haunted?

There was no reason to say goodbye, none of them expected him to stay, he knew. All he had to do was-

“Er..ik?”

Everyone gasped, and a few of them let out relieved laughs as all of their attention drew to Charles. Raven lightly took hold of his hand.

His and Erik’s eyes met, the telepath’s with a sleepy and glazed look. Erik’s heart stuttered in his chest as he was greeted with a tired, but knowing smile. Almost immediately after, Charles fell back asleep.

 

Erik would stay.


	2. Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No, it wasn’t his strength he was worried about. It was everyone else’s. He hated to admit, but they were children. He remembered a time he would have argued that they were adults now. Looking at them, even with their innocence ripped out, he couldn’t say they weren’t kids. If anything they were in the metamorphosis stage - becoming adults. They were just kids who have seen and done too much. That was the way the world worked, though. They may have won this battle, all together, but they still had so much to learn. They had to still build strength, and stamina. They couldn’t rely on the pain that they all had today. The corner of his mouth lifted at the irony of that thought being in his head of all places.

“We can’t stay here,” Mystique addressed the group. “We can’t keep sitting in front of this exposed wall.”

“We’ll soon find trouble if we stay,” added Erik. Hank nodded in agreement with them both.

“Where should we go? And more importantly, how do we move the professor?”

“The school was destroyed...that was our safest bet.” Summers added solemnly. “Back to America?”

“Eventually…Kurt, how are you feeling?” Raven asked the boy.

“I…” He swallowed. “I am tired still. But I could try-”

“We don’t want you to pass out again. Will you know when it’s safe?” Kurt nodded.

“I can see what I can do,” Moira spoke, seemingly for the first time.

“And get the CIA involved once again?” Erik argued, naturally.

“I do have more power now, I could-”

“Erik’s right,” said Raven, “We shouldn’t risk it.”

“I know a place in Munich,” the teleporter spoke again.

“No Germany.” Erik was stern.

“But-” “No Germany.”

Silence then.

“Well, whatever we do it needs to be soon. We can decide what to do officially later, right now I don’t think we should be found so vulnerably by whoever is looking.”

“I have an idea,” Erik told Raven, “One moment.”

 

He walked away from them, and looked outside. He scanned the immediate area for a vehicle, there was one car, smashed in. The damage he could fix, but it would be too small. In the distance he saw something even better, a van. It had no wheels, but that was hardly a problem considering his plans. His lifted his hands outward and it lifted slowly, and he brought it to him. He let it levitate level to the floor they were on. “Everyone get in,” he called over his shoulder.

The kids all came over to stand by him, looking at their ride. “Great, I’m sure this is safe.” Scott said. They all looked at each other and shrugged. Hank and Raven lifted Charles carefully, Hank at his shoulders and Raven at his legs. They carried him slowly to the van, and laid him across the back seat. They barely had room to maneuver.

“I’ll stay with him,” she said. Hank climbed into the front driver’s seat.

“Jean, you should sit next to Hank in the passenger seat.” Erik spoke to her for the first time. She nodded and did as suggested. The rest of them, including Moira climbed into the very back of the van.

“What about you?” She asked him.

“I’ll be up here,” he responded as he floated himself onto the roof of the van. “We could use a little bit of invisibility,” he suggested again to the telepath. He remember Charles’ trick in Russia a very long time ago.

“No one can see us,” Jean said to them all. “I’ll hold this for as long as I can.”

“I will get us to the border of the sea, and from there we shall decide our real destination,” he spoke loudly so they could hear. They could easily, the windows had been broken out in the chaos.

Their trip away from there began silently, every so often one of them would sniffle, or clear their throat. Raven sat with Charles, monitoring him to make sure there were no changes. There weren’t. She held his hands in her own, gently but securely, looking at his closed eyelids, fluttering every now and then. Hank was keeping a watchful eye over everything around them, watching the ground for people and the sky for planes. He has seen large groups of what he assumes are military, slowly and cautiously making their face towards the center of the destruction. Everything around them was in shambles, or near it but there was no arguing that the worst of it was in Cairo. He was more worried about a plane. If whoever was flying it couldn’t see them in the sky, then they wouldn’t be able to stop a collision. They may not be visible but they still existed.

Jean was concentrating. She didn’t speak at all, only sitting with her eyes closed, her fingers on her temples. This would truly be a test of her limits and skills. Erik was stoic and motionless atop the vehicle. He moved them quickly through the air, in the direction of the Mediterranean Sea. At his speed he predicted they would arrive in a little over an hour, as long as he could keep his consistency. He now knew the potential power he had within himself, so he didn’t worry much over his own strength, though he did know that he would without a doubt be exhausted at the end of it all. He already was. The day, and his losses were mentally taxing, which translated to tiredness. Beyond tiredness. But, there was no question about doing this. He was running on pure adrenaline and motivated by the goal to not let everyone die or get captured by government officials. If, _when_ they talked to the government it would be in their own discretion. Moira would most likely be the best help in that area. He wondered briefly if she would tell the truth about his full involvement, that this was majorly his fault. He supposed it would depend entirely on Charles.

If he was branded a villain again, he would survive. At least physically. If that was what happened, he would go away, this time to a place where no one could find him. Not even strangers. No, it wasn’t his strength he was worried about. It was everyone else’s. He hated to admit, but they were children. He remembered a time he would have argued that they were adults now. Looking at them, even with their innocence ripped out, he couldn’t say they weren’t kids. If anything they were in the metamorphosis stage - becoming adults. They were just kids who have seen and done too much. That was the way the world worked, though. They may have won this battle, all together, but they still had so much to learn. They had to still build strength, and stamina. They couldn’t rely on the pain that they all had today. The corner of his mouth lifted at the irony of that thought being in his head of all places.

 

After a long and quiet ride they eventually saw water on the horizon line. There was a port there. With a lot of people, and some ships though they were docked. Everyone in the van looked to each other, slight worried expressions on their faces. Erik grunted to himself when he saw the mess of people. He wasn’t very familiar with the sea border of Egypt. Which, of course there would be a port. That only made sense. To go along further down the shore or pass them and continue the journey?

“We cannot stop here,” he called loud enough that Raven could hear. “We need a plan, now.”

“Can you get us to Turkey?” She said after a moment of thought.

“We’ll soon find out.”

“How soon?”

“A few hours or less,” he answered, unhappily. “What are your thoughts?”

“Antalya is a city on the sea, it should be dead ahead. It’s a tourist town.”

“Should we surround ourselves with so many people?” Erik questioned.

“We can blend in better there,”

“And how are a large group of mutants going to do that?”

“Well it’s better than going anywhere in a remote village, I think-”

“Uh, guys!” It was Scott. “They can see us!”

They all looked below them, and could see crowds of people craning their necks to get a look. Many of them were pointing, some of them shouting.

“Jean?” Hank put his hand on the girl’s shoulder, “what’s wrong?”

“I’m sorry!” She still had her fingers to her temples, “I’m trying,” she groaned, pushing herself harder. By the looks of all the civilians underneath, it wasn’t working. There were people running, and they could see what looked like police- or naval officers coming their way. Erik had them moving faster than before, but they weren’t yet to the water line, and even over water they wouldn’t be safe if they weren’t invisible. There were sure to be naval ships in the water, or watchtowers on the very borders of the country.

“Jean!” Erik yelled, “we need you to focus!”

“I’m trying!” tears of frustration appeared in the corners of her eyes.

“Come on Jean,” it was Scott, “you can do it. I- we believe in you. We need you!”

Another thirty seconds went by without cover, and then the crowds below stood in confusion, trying to find them in the sky once again. Some people were even more frightened, and ran away. They all exhaled at once in relief, their minds buzzing at the possibilities of what could have just happened.

“Great job Jean, now just hold it as long as you can manage.”

Jean opened her eyes, with a worried look. “It wasn’t me,” she answered Hank.

“What do you mean-” They all looked where Charles lay, nothing was different except he had one hand to his right temple, his first two fingers extended. His eyes were still closed, he looked asleep.

“Charles?” Raven questioned. There wasn’t an answer. It was only slightly unsettling.

“He must only have enough psychic energy for this,” Hank said quietly, as if speaking loudly would interrupt the telepath. It wasn’t an outrageous thought.

“What’s happening?” It was Erik.

“It’s Charles,” Mystique called, “he’s the one that is cloaking us.”

“Is he alright?” Concern. “He still looks asleep. I don’t know how long he will be able to hold it.”

 

_Charles_ , Erik thought at his friend. It was still foreign to him. Before their contact before Apocalypse, it had been years since their last mental connection. He didn’t want to think about that now though. It wasn’t a safe time to dwell on the past. _Charles, are you alright?_ He tried again, and waited. There wasn’t a response. He tried to think of other things, like getting them safely through to Turkey.

“You should rest,” Hank told Jean, “in case he can’t hold this for very long. We may need you to try again soon.”

Jean nodded back at him, before casting a look back at the professor. She let out a sigh and turned to look out her passenger window. They were over the sea now, the waves were crashing into each other lowly. Her eyes closed lightly. She doubted she would be able to fall asleep, but she attempted to at least calm her mind and build her psychic energy again.

She was wrong about sleep, because she woke up what felt like hours later, to Hank shaking her shoulder lightly. She quickly looked behind her, and saw that the professor’s hank lay to his side again.

“How long was I asleep?”

“About an hour, I would guess. Do you feel well enough to try?”

Jean nodded, and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and placed her fingers on both temples.

“I feel it working this time,” she assured them. Scott has fallen asleep in the back, and Kurt was sitting with his eyes closed. Ororo and Peter both sat watching out the back windows. Peter had his functioning hand grasped around his broken arm, and his legs lay out in front of him, one of them lifeless. They had been at least set in place, but they still weren’t in a cast. They hadn’t the means yet, so his limbs were on fire.

 

Moira balanced her attention between looking out the side windows and watching Charles sleep. Cuba has been on her mind, ever since her memories were returned to her. Her feelings fluctuated between anger and acceptance, even understanding. There were many reasons her telepathic friend did what he did, and he was probably in the right considering the political climate around mutants at the time. It was the best for their species as a whole. That didn’t mean that it was any less of a violation. She did feel like the victim of a theft. So much would be different now, if she had remembered it all.

 

Raven drifted in and out of sleep, opening her eyes every few minutes to watch Charles breath. She tried not to think of all the times he was hurt like this, and she had left. The beach. She hadn’t even been sure of the extent of the damage he had and she had left. D.C. She had left him lying under rubble. She wondered about the seemingly bottomless well of forgiveness that Charles had for her, and Erik. He was unbelievable. Maybe that was why she was taking this vigil so seriously. To make up for all the times she had failed him. She also supposed that’s why Erik was still with them, helping them escape when he could have much more easily gotten only himself out.

 

Erik had only the thoughts in his head necessary to get them to Turkey. He predicted somewhere between two and three hours more of this taxing travel. The past days were really trying to sneak up on him, he could feel an ache gradually settling into his bones. He ignored it. There was only one option, and that was to get them safely to shore. He wasn’t sure what the next step of their plan would be. He assumed Raven had a idea. The time of their arrival, would most likely be in their favor. It was getting darker by the minute, and hopefully would be dark when they arrived. It would be their best cover. And while they had two telepaths, one was unconscious and the other was depleting her psychic energy way too quickly. He thought it would be dangerous to depend on them, even if he did hope that one of them would be aware enough to get them safely into lodging. Raven could transform, but only herself. She would probably be the leader of the group once they got to shore. She could get them into anywhere. But they would need luck for people not to pick up on the two other blue mutants they had: Hank and Kurt. They couldn’t transform like Mystique and they were very...impressionable. Erik himself had a large chance of being recognized. He didn’t quite agree that they should be going into a tourist town. The least amount of people around them would be better, he thought. He could still see the logic of hoping to be lost in the crowd, but he thought it was the more dangerous risk.

 

Against their luck, Jean could only hold the illusion of invisibility for another hour. They still had a bit of trip left. She swore to herself in anger.

“You should rest, we’ll try to wake the professor,” Hank said, sounding like before, trying to sound supportive. Raven began to shake Charles’ shoulder, starting lightly and getting more urgent as the minutes passed.

_Charles, we need you. Wake up. Please._ She thought to him. She didn’t get any response. She silently repeated her pleads, watching for any type of response. Erik kept a more careful eye on what was around them, and above them. He was concerned about their lack of cover. It was not as big of a deal if their was no one around them, but soon they would be surrounded by boats and other people. He only vaguely understood their telepathic control over invisibility, but he did understand they weren’t literally invisible, there was only a projection of invisibility. Anyone within that range to them would be under suggestion that they saw nothing at all. If there was no one around them to influence, it was better. He knew it wouldn’t last for long though.

 

_Please Charles. Jean is too exhausted to continue. We need you._ The psychic silence he received was unnerving. Charles had always jumped at the first chance to speak telepathically with anyone, as it was inherently more natural to him. _Charles. We need to to help us. We won’t be safe if we’re exposed._ Without any response, and Jean resting her mind they have to choice but to continue with the bigger risk. Erik has them going faster, to cover more distance faster. If they ran into any conflict it would be best to be as close to the shore as possible.

After forty five minutes of a miracle, they passed their first boat. They didn’t slow down, but they couldn’t tell if they had been spotted. After a few more minutes they passed another boat. Immediately after passing it, Jean gasped:

“They definitely saw us.” She closed her eyes, “I can’t cloak us, I can only feel their surface thoughts.” She threw her hands to the side of her head- trying harder.

“Charles! Wake up!” Raven shook him, hard this time. They could see the shore in the far distance, there were about to be more problems than just one boat. Everyone was alert now, the kids afraid but trying to hide it.

An alarm went off, from a naval ship, it must be Turkey’s coast guard. It was the border to the country after all.

“What are we going to do?” It was Moira.

“We need Charles,” Raven kept shaking him, without getting any response. She tried to calm the panic rising inside her.

Jean let out a yell, “I have it! I don’t know for how much longer!” It held for only a couple of disappointing seconds before she fell forward in her seat, unconscious.

They were approaching the shore now, and people were scattering in all directions. Most of them were in swimwear, and grabbing their children up quickly. It was a tourist town. They were on the beach. It was only barely dusk, with the sun still setting on the water. There were uniformed police running towards the shore, but what could they do?

 

“Erik! Get us past the beach at least,” Raven yelled, leaving her brother’s side to look ahead of them . There were a lot of people. In the blink of an eye they all stopped. Frozen. She startled and looked back, and indeed it was Charles. He had a hand very lazily pressed against his temple. His skin looked more clammy than before, in his strain. She let out a sigh of relief, and hoped this would last long enough to avoid trouble. Soon enough Erik had them landing, in an alley between two tall buildings. One of them was a hotel, at least five stories, with balconies on each level.

“Quickly, everyone!” Raven ushered them all out of the van.

“Erik and Hank, you two need to grab my brother. Scott, Moira get Jean. The rest of you come on.”

They staggered in a group, Hank was able to carry Charles on his own, and Erik used his powers to open and close doors as they made their way into the building through the back, near the trash receptacles. They made their way to the stairwell, that sat tucked behind the wall of keys and the front desk. There were people here, frozen eerily in place.

Raven quickly looked through all the bronze colored keys and settled on one for a room on the top floor. If they had to escape they had enough people with levitating abilities to make an escape.

“Let’s go,” she rushed. They made it to the sixth floor in just a couple minutes. After a few turns they heard people talking. Charles has lost his hold. They found their room: 67, and heard footsteps approaching from around the corner. Two separate pairs.

“Kurt, get some of you in,” she shoved Erik and Hank towards him and they grabbed onto his shoulder. Scott and Ororo grabbed his tail and they were gone in less than a second.

Raven and Moira were opening the door as a young woman and man walked by them. They waved, as the couple opened their own door. They got into their own room, and shut the door quickly, locking it behind them.

Everyone in the room let out a giant breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you thought! 
> 
> I'm going to start on chapter 3 but it will likely take a bit longer because the work week is restarting. Hopefully by this weekend. :)
> 
> Also I don't know much at all about Turkey so I'm keeping it vague. Also why I chose a tourist town because I didn't want to try to guess any of the country's customs and possibly offend. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Warm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He swallowed, and looked. Everyone was warm, sleeping, safe.   
>  Erik felt a yawn sneaking up on him, and gave in. He sat with Charles, each of them with the other’s hand. He wondered if Charles could ever stop smiling.

Their room was bigger than they thought, but there were only two beds. Each one was hardly big enough for two people. They would make it work. For several long moments they all stood in an almost circle staring at each other. Then, Hank moved to lay Charles on the bed in the farthest end of the room. Jean was laid on the other. There were three windows, and Erik moved quickly between them all, peered through the curtains and into the street.

There weren’t any upsets, at least that he could see from here. Out of the two twin windows, the main street could be seen. He could even see the shore in the not so far distance. That was good. If they had to escape the country, they could fairly quickly. But what of the van they brought here?

“Mystiqu-”

“The van, I know.” Raven looked perplexed. “Can you feel it from here?”

“I can. It’s not like I can just crush it and hope no one notices.”

“Can’t you?”

“They saw us arrive, Raven.”

“You wanna pick a name?” She jabbed, but looked thoughtful.

“Well we can’t just let it sit there.”

“Why don’t we just put it on the roof?” Scott asked.

“You are joking?” Ororo retorted.

“There’s probably no one around-”

“Lots of people are around,” even Peter joined in, standing awkwardly and cramped in pain.

They were quiet.

“I could drop it into the sea?” Kurt offered.

“That’s..not a bad idea Kurt,” Raven said.

“That...sounds dangerous,” it was Scott, “what if you’re seen?”

“Well, he is a teleporter. They won’t know where he disappeared to.”

“I’ll go with him,” Erik said.

“What if you’re recognized? I can change what I look like, I should go.”

“You’ll be needed here. When Charles wakes, he’ll want to see you first, I imagine. If anything goes wrong with the plan, I can get us to safety. It’s better that you stay here. And anyway, if it goes the way it should we should be back in a minute, literally.” 4

They all looked around at each other, before nodding in agreement. If only one of their telepaths were conscious, so they could know right away if there was anyone around the van, or if it had already been spotted. They were going into this blindly.

“Are you ready?” Erik was looking at Kurt.

“Yes, I am ready.”

“Let’s teleport into the van, as opposed to next to it. If someone is near, they shouldn’t see us.” Kurt nodded. They both gave one more look to Raven before they disappeared into blue smoke.

 

Raven and Moira considered their plan to be seen. In the end, it was decided that the CIA agent would stay with Charles and the others, keeping watch and so one of them were near if the professor or Jean were to wake up. Hank was with the girl now, monitoring her pulse and breathing. He says she is physically and psychically exhausted like the professor.

Scott, Ororo and Peter sat near the middle of the room, lost in their own thoughts. Peter had a slight fever, induced by the pain he still felt. Scott let his attention wander to Jean much of the time. Ororo thought of home.

Raven took her leave from the room, after telling Moira that if she was gone longer than forty five minutes that she was in trouble. She forced herself to not consider Kurt and Erik for the moment, as they had already been gone for about five minutes. She was sure it wouldn’t be much longer. Her goal was to wave to the hotel workers and continue on her way. They would be confused on who she was, and if they pressed on the matter, she would assure them that her and her friend had checked in yesterday. How else would they have their key?

After she made it outside, she aimed to look for a market. They needed some sort of sustenance. Medical supplies too, though she wasn’t sure what she’d find. The main concern in that area was to get Peter’s broken limbs wrapped. If she could locate plain clothes for some of them, that would be a bonus but it wasn’t the most pressing. The man at the front desk was indeed confused, but she waved with her keys visible. He eventually waved back, and gave a worried smile.

It was closer to dark than dusk when she stepped outside, but with the street lights and summer smells it was still lively out, which was her hope with a tourist town. She gave hellos as she walked, looking for the first place to stop.

 

 

When the teleporter and Erik appeared in the back of the van, they were alone in the alley. Erik checked out the windows to be sure and nodded to Kurt, who in turn grabbed a hold of the actual frame of the van.

“Think back to the area of the sea we were in, before we approached the border. Before we were seen. We want to be inconspicuous in this.” Kurt closed his eyes, and counted to five in his head- and they disappeared with the van.

They reappeared under water.

 

 

After exchanging her USD for the proper currency, Raven had good luck at the food market, moving quickly. She was able to grab bread, cheese, smoked meat and some fruit. She grabbed some chocolate and a bag of chips to lift spirits. She moved on to some other stores nearby, finding some supplies to wrap for Peter and alcohol to clean any minor wounds they may have. In the last store she went into, she was even able to locate clothes. She managed to find outfits for most of them. Hank, Charles and her weren’t included. They all had jogger type pants made out of a comfortable material, and a tourist shirt that said “Antalya” across the front. She was sure that Erik would love it. She grabbed a sweater for him, to soften the blow.

 

 

Erik and Kurt both appeared under water, with Erik choking on a throat-full of it. Their eyes stung, and they hit the top of the van as it started to sink to the bottom, the thought flashed across the older man’s mind that he should lift them out of the abyss. But he couldn’t focus, trying to expel the water from his lungs. He felt a hand on his arm and then fell hard against the floor of the hotel room. Kurt was next to him, coughing and grabbing at his own throat. Moira was startled into action and moved quickly to them, helping Kurt upright and staying with him until he was able to breathe easily again.

“Thank you, thank you,” the blue boy said. “This...this is my fault.”

He looked down at the floor where puddles were forming under them. Erik was still coughing, and soon throwing up water. He would have to agree with the boy, so he thought maybe it was best he was otherwise occupied.

“Gross dude,” Peter made a face, “I hope you’re gonna clean that up.”

 

After a few minutes of being knelt over, he groaned as he stood while his head swam. He could hardly see straight. He ignored Moira’s questioning and everyone’s looks and moved himself to the bathroom. He shut the door behind him and started ripping his heavy gear off himself. His boots, which he poured water out of and into the sink. His gloves. His chest plate. It was all so heavy, even before the water, and it fell with a clunk. The helmet he was most known for was already off, had been since the defeat of Apocalypse, and it sat in a corner of their room somewhere.

He got himself to the last layer he wore, he itched to take that off as well. Frustrated and uncomfortable, the recent events were catching up to him. His breath caught in his chest, as he urged down a panic attack. They were stopped here, they have slowed down. They weren’t running, at least for the moment. His adrenaline was draining fast, and he thought he might be dead on his feet. His throat was sore from almost drowning. Erik tried to control his emotions. He wanted to strike out at the boy, and blame him. That would do nothing to help them, so he didn’t. He was able to get them out, and that was what really mattered.

He was so tired. He stayed in the bathroom for what felt like hours, going over the past two days. Has that really been all it’s been? Forty eight hours for his heart to be ripped out of his chest, and for his soul to fluctuate in and out of this world. Sometimes, thinking of himself and his decisions, he got whiplash. In the other room, he thought he heard Raven come in. After a few seconds everyone cheered- good news then. It didn’t take long for her to make her way to him. He could hear her footsteps and then a soft knock.

“Erik?”

“Come in,” he responded in a gruff voice, not it any mood to beat around the bush.

She opened the door slowly, peering in as if she expected him to be naked. When she saw he wasn’t she opened the door much faster, and threw something soft at him.

“You should shower, you smell,” she laughed and shut the door again.

It was a pair of pants, and a shirt. A tourist shirt, very stylish. He rolled his eyes but was secretly relieved. He now had a warm set of clothes. There was a sweater too, with a dark blue and black pattern.

He stood under the hot water for several minutes before even moving to wash. There was a fresh bar of soap in the soap holder. His movements were starting to feel very slow and surreal. He told himself it was the exhaustion. And the grief. The water ran over his face, as he rinsed his hair of suds. He stayed facing the stream for a few more minutes, not able to stop seeing the battle with En Sabah Nur, the exact moment each of them were injured, the way Charles lay lifelessly.

At his thoughts of his friend, there was a warmth that crawled up the back of his mind until it settled. He gasped, when:

_Hello, old friend._

_Charles?_ Erik felt his breath quicken.

_Everything will be alright, Erik._

_You’re awake?_

_I am, though still exhausted._ His sigh could almost be felt.

_Did you speak with Raven?_

_I did, thank god everyone’s alright._

_Yes. And you Charles, we almost lost-_

_But you didn’t._

They didn’t. Lose him. They didn’t lose anyone, it had been almost a miracle.

_Sit with me?_ Charles’ mind asked. Neither of them needed further words to know that Erik was agreeable. He turned the shower off, and began to dry off with one of the surprisingly lush towels that were hanging near the tub. It didn’t take long, and his new clothes were put on. It was all very comfortable, and fit well.

He left all his wet gear in the corner of the bathroom. When he left the bathroom, it was quiet. The kids were all sleeping. The bed Jean was sleeping on was taken apart, she still had the mattress, which now lay next to the other half of the bed. The next layer held a sleeping Scott and Peter, whose broken arm and leg were now wrapped securely. Ororo and Kurt, along with Hank and Raven all found various spots on the floor to sleep.

There was a low lamp on, and Erik could see they all had a pillow and a blanket or sheet. He thought it was lucky there were so many excess of them. They had all changed into similar tourist outfits, including Kurt. He supposed he should feel guilty for hogging the bathroom. He wouldn’t admit if he did. When he made his first steps into the room, Moira turned from her spot at the table to look at him. She gave a tired smile and continued to look out the window. She must be the first to have watch duty.

He could see on the table a small spread of food brought by Raven. He assumed at some point it would look good to him, but right now, he didn’t think he could trust himself to keep it down. He slowly turned to where Charles lay, and indeed he was awake. He was still laying down, and his eyes looked sleepy, but they still had a smile in them. It reached the his mouth, his lips turned up at the corners.

Erik felt his heart bang against his chest a little harder. Charles was alive. He was here with them, safe. He was smiling. He was smiling at him.

_Come here, Erik._

He complied, and sat on the edge of the bed nearest the wall,looking at his friend. Part of him was afraid to look away, afraid that if he did Charles would fade, not be okay, stop smiling. They looked at each other for several long moments, not breaking eye contact until- Charles reached his hand out and enclosed it around Erik’s, holding tightly.

_Relax. Look at all the life in this room._ He swallowed, and looked.

Everyone was warm, sleeping, safe. Erik felt a yawn sneaking up on him, and gave in.

He sat with Charles, each of them with the other’s hand. He wondered if Charles could ever stop smiling.

_I can’t._

He laughed. He sat looking at Charles and past Charles, into the pillow behind his head, until he began to fall asleep sitting up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, feedback is always appreciated!
> 
> Also for the hell of it I included how I am imagining the hotel set up in my head. Ignore the "Charle's" punctuation, heh. 
> 
>  
> 
> On to ch.4! It will probably be on the weekend again. Hooray for continuing when you say you will!


	4. Birds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erik took care to burn this image of Charles in his mind. He was uncertain of what the future held, and considering their past their eventual parting of ways would be devastating. It might end them. There was a small part of himself he was unfamiliar with, he dared to call it hope and he blamed the man in front of him for setting the trap.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A serious note: After the recent tragedy in Turkey this chapter is slightly shorter and contains only hotel happenings. The next chapter will be a short time skip, it doesn't feel appropriate for me to continue writing Turkey as a setting.
> 
> May all the lives lost be in our hearts. RIP.

Erik heard birds. The last time he heard birds, was when Nina brought a swarm of them. It felt years ago. It had been only a couple of days. They were singing a song, one he didn’t know. His baby would have known. He felt a sting at the corner of his eyes, and he rubbed it away. When he opened his eyes he could see that it was still very early, dawn only beginning to break.

He didn’t move, trying to stay in this quiet moment a little longer, with just himself. Before he had to shove everything down, and help lead them all out of here. Before he had to become cold again, and be prepared for anything.

_Will you have to be cold?_

He startled at the intrusion, though it wasn’t entirely unwelcome. For a few moments he withheld a response, considered not giving one, but eventually gave in with a sigh. _I always will._

Erik could still feel the warm presence in the back of his mind, but received no other thoughts. Companionable silence was just as well, if not better. Sometimes between them it was better to say nothing at all. Eventually he rolled over to face Charles, and was again surprised by the man when he met eyes as blue and as deep as the ocean. The other man had been watching him for some time, waiting for him to accept invitation to a moment together instead of apart. They were in the same bed, they might as well let each other in.

Charles’ eyes were always so tender towards him, he has spent many years wondering if he deserved it. He always came to the conclusion that he didn’t. How could one man own such a well of love and forgiveness? He vividly remembered a time when he had not been forgiven. He would often treasure the look of pure contempt his friend held for him when they had reunited in D.C. He would call upon that memory in his low times full of self deprecation.

It was a much different look than the one the telepath was giving him now, and he almost laughed, the effort only causing an exhale and a curve of his mouth upward that only the other man could have caught. It was returned to him double when a warm smile was given to him freely. Erik took care to burn this image of Charles in his mind. He was uncertain of what the future held, and considering their past their eventual parting of ways would be devastating. It might end them. There was a small part of himself he was unfamiliar with, he dared to call it hope and he blamed the man in front of him for setting the trap.

His stomach began to do flips, as Charles slowly moved his hand toward him. He laid it across the back of Erik’s, and let it stay to burn a hole in his hand. Tears threatened at the corner of his eyes again, and he fought them back, now watching their touch instead of Charles’ face.

_Oh, Erik._

The professor closed his hand around Erik’s, flipping their hands so their palms touched. They both closed their eyes and lay together in silence, wavering in between sleep and wakefulness. It lasted half an hour before they began to hear their friends beginning to wake. Their eyes met one more time, a sad but friendly smile still between them, before Erik sat up. The day couldn’t be put off anymore.

 

He saw Raven sitting near where Moira had been when he retired last night. They must have switched out not too long ago. She gave him a small smile, but continued to watch out the window, in her own moment of solitude. He thought it would be a good idea to take advantage of the bathroom before everyone else had the same thought, so he did. He took his time. Afterwards, he washed his face of sleep and gave himself a serious look in the mirror. Some people would think it was well enough time for him to shave. When he was convinced he was held enough together, he went back out to the others.

They had all woken up. Even Jean, who was sitting on her mattress with her back against the wall. She seemed to glow, and was handing out smiles to everyone, even to him. He couldn’t help but respond in the same way, surprisingly himself briefly.

_Give yourself more credit._

He shot Charles a look, but was unsure what he meant by it so continued to where Raven sat. All the kids were talking with each other, about all the events of yesterday and sharing their dreams of the night. Jean eventually got up, a little wobbly on her feet but determined, and moved to talk to the professor. It was still new that he was conscious. It might still be a long time before he is well. He still didn’t have the energy to sit up completely. But if he was already communicating telepathically, he might heal faster than any of them thought.

Soon enough Hank and Moira joined Erik and Raven at the table. There was a box of pastries here, so someone must have ventured out. Possibly Moira. In typical fashion, Erik spoke first.

“Do we have a plan?”

“The only way I see us getting out of here is-”

“Not the CIA,” Erik interrupted Moira.

“Erik, she might have a point,”

“And if you’d let me finish…” She continued. She gave Erik a few seconds to protest, and he didn’t, mostly out of spite. The other part of him out of desperation to keep them all safe. He knew he should listen to all ideas. “As I was saying, we need to make sure we’re not seen as enemies by the CIA, or the rest of the world.”

“Again.” Erik added.

“Right. Again. It could be disastrous if we _don’t_ show ourselves. I think we should reach out to them. I am trusted. More than I was at Cuba.”

They were quiet for a moment, in remembrance of that time. It was Raven that spoke next.

“The world is almost destroyed by mutants, and then the most well known mutants disappear from sight? The only logical next step for them would be to blame us. And we all know they don’t need much incentive to do that anyway.”

“I think it’s our only real option Erik,” It was Hank now. “We can’t keep running, and the school was destroyed. It’s not like we could pretend we had no involvement.”

“We have to call on the CIA,” Raven reiterated.

Erik took a couple breaths before he answered. “You’re right.”

“I’m sorry, what did you say?” She laughed, “I didn’t quite catch that.”

“Yes, sorry Erik but could you repeat yourself?” Hank joined in.

Soon they were all smiling, but Erik glared. Raven settled her hand on his shoulder.

“Cheer up buddy.”

“This is serious, Raven.”

“Yes it is. I don’t think I’ve ever heard those words from you before,” she let out one more laugh. He really had to fight a smile, even at his own expense. To see Raven smiling and laughing, he supposed it was worth a few embarrassing moments. They did soon sober to the conversation again.

“I did have an encrypted phone, but I lost it in the chaos.”

“They could be looking for you right now,” Raven said.

“I’m sure they are at least wondering quite seriously.”

“So we need a phone. Is that all? Just call up the CIA?” Hank questioned.

“I will have to check in with them, I’ll give them our status and they will help us get home.”

“That easy, huh?”

“I’m certain we’ll have to spend some time debriefing them, there’s no doubt about that.”

“Debriefing? Is that what you call interrogation nowadays?” Erik asked, rhetorically.

“I think telling them what happened is a fair price for getting us home, safely.”

 

That seemed to settle the conversation, Hank got up and took the pastries to distribute them among everyone. He started with the boys and Ororo and continued to Jean and Charles. After being asked, Jean left them alone to be with the others, so they could speak alone. Erik assumed that he was telling him the plan, but he was sure Charles already knew.

Raven was planning her way to find a phone. Moira thought they should go together. The streets would be busy, and while it was relatively safe it would be better to go together. Eventually Raven agreed, not finding much of a reason to not. Both of their telepaths were now awake, and Erik was plenty capable if there was somehow any trouble. No one knew where there were though, so what trouble could there be?

Erik took a spot near the window after the women left. There were many people walking in the streets, it was a very lively day. The morning sun was bright, and influenced optimism. At least he thought it would, in anyone else but him. You could still die under a bright sun. Or get shot by your best friend. Why does his mind assault him with that memory?

Charles was now sitting completely up in bed, against the wall. If he had his chair, he would definitely be out and about. He didn’t look completely happy that he was bed ridden.

It didn’t take long at all for Moira and Raven to return. They had found a phone that would do the trick. The CIA agent immediately set it up for use, and eventually took it into the bathroom for privacy. That was a curious move to Erik, but he was ultimately more suspicious than everyone else. He looked to Charles, hoping he would monitor the conversation. The man’s eyes being set on the bathroom door was an indicator and he felt at least some relief that he wasn’t the only one with the thought.

She stayed in there for at least a quarter of an hour, and when she came out she had a distressed smile, a definite mixed signal. No one bombarded her with questions, though Erik wanted to.

“Well, I have good news and...not bad news necessarily.”

“What is it?” Erik spoke first, obviously not being able to hold back.

“We will get home. That’s the best part.”

“And the other parts?” Raven asked.

“Our journey isn’t over. But, we should be on our way home, tonight.” Cheers from Scott and the others. Ororo was quiet.

“They can’t meet us here, they can’t just cross the border and load up mutants,” Moira continued. “There is an Air Force base in Adana. It’s about an hour east if we fly. We can meet some soldiers stationed there, and they will be coordinating with the director for a flight home. We leave here at twenty hundred.”

“We can ‘fly’ right?” Raven asked Erik. “Yes, we will have to find a vehicle. Or get creative.”

“We can do that.” They split apart for the time being, as night was still a long way to go. Raven said she would take a walk around, to scope out their options. That left Moira and Hank to talk at the table, and the kids were starting to think they were dying of boredom.There was no way they could go out.

 

Erik went and sat on the bed next to Charles. This is about the time they would probably play a game of chess. Instead they sat together silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The interactions in this chapter were so far my favorite. Thank you for reading!


	5. Waiting

“Everyone, this is Director Casey Lenfeld. Director, this is-”

“I know who they are,” the woman interrupted, sternly but without aggression. “Forgive me, I don’t believe we should be wasting any time. I will speak with Moira first.” Lenfeld let her gaze touch every tired face in the room. The presence of the famous Magneto shocked her almost as much as the state of Professor Xavier.

“I’ll be having Mr. Randall Chevez get your account of things, Mr. Lehnsherr.” She smiled cooly at him. “The rest of you can wait in this room. Feel free to grab a cup of coffee or water,” she gestured vaguely towards the watercooler and the counter with a coffee maker.

They were on a higher floor of a CIA building, and had arrived only twenty minutes ago. To the states, they arrived even earlier in the morning than it was now. No one has slept except for a few stolen minutes on the plane, but it hadn't been a very smooth ride and everyone’s nerves were on edge. They were among government officials now, and after a large tragedy including mutants. The last time they had held trust in the same company, well, Cuba. It was enough to make anyone at least a little nervous. Soldiers sat among them, some of them stared intently at the mutants they had and the others politely found other places to look. The opinions of them varied per individual. Peter and Scott were uncharacteristically quiet, and all the kids were scared. They last time they were around officials was when they had followed Stryker to his Alkali Lake facility.

Charles made sure to concentrate on the thoughts of all the men they were with, taking no chances. This kept him quiet, anyone that noticed didn’t say anything. Erik kept his senses smooth against all the metal available to him, and his eyes on Charles’ face. Breaking his usual habit, he would wait for any distress from him before making any potentially dangerous moves. Their ride to the states would definitely determine peace or war, and for once, Erik didn’t seem to have much of an appetite for war. He wondered how long that would last.

 

Now, all of Erik’s sense told him not to go with the agent he was supposed to speak to, but he did anyway. He was to enter the room first, and a secondary and unmentioned agent joined the first. They were both professionally friendly, one of the worst kinds of nice. He refused to sit down and kept the table between them both.

“Relax, Mr. Lehnsherr. We just wanna hear your side,” the unnamed one said.

“Yeah? Then why do you have plastic guns in your holsters?”

“Because we’re not complete idiots,” Randall said. “Look, we do have plastic guns. With plastic bullets. But do you know what else?” He waited for an answer as if Erik were a child before continuing when he didn’t get one. “There’s metal in here. The legs of the table. The chairs. The lighting fixture. We both know you could kill us with one screw from up there. Wouldn’t you say we have a pretty even playing field? Possibly even to your favor.”

Erik grunted his agreement, taking the man’s point. It didn’t make him any more trusting, but it did make sense. The two agents sat down on the side of the table closest to the door, and he hesitantly took a seat across from them.

“Now Mr. Lehnsherr, please start from the beginning- the first time you saw En Sabah Nur and anything before that that might give us any indicators of how this happened.” Chevez paused before continuing not unkindly, “We do know of your family in Poland, I’m very sorry for your loss. We also know of the mine, where all of your fellow workers were found imbedded into the ground. Perhaps that would be a good place to start?”

 

In the waiting room sat everyone besides Moira and Erik. The CIA had been kind enough to at least provide the professor a wheelchair, so he could be mobile on his own. Still, everything going on was draining his energy fast. He kept mental tabs on both his friends currently being questioned. He might not freely speak on it, but we wasn’t very trusting of their government allies. He had encouraged Erik to be truthful in his account of the past days events. No one would believe that he had not desired revenge after the killing of his family, even the general public knows that he is volatile when it comes to his passions.

If it had been only him and Erik, they could have gotten away with a few story changes, but with the younger mutants involved- he couldn’t expect them to lie, or to allow himself to risk them for dishonesty. The truth regarding Erik made him nervous. It was his hope, and almost expectation that the man’s redeeming actions would actually redeem him. They wouldn’t have made it without “Magneto.” He hated calling Erik that.

Raven and Hank hadn’t been comfortable enough to sit, but allowed themselves at least a cup of coffee. They stood to the side of the table a few feet away, looking out the window together. Hank was still blue without his serum. Raven was still blue, out of spite most likely.

“Are they going to question all of us?” Scott asked.

Charles nodded to him, and forced himself to smile.

“Indeed. No need to worry. When we are all done being questioned, we’ll be able to go.”

“Where?” it was Jean, “the school is gone.”

There was sadness in her voice, that matched the way everyone was looking down or out the windows.

“And it will come back,” Charles assured them, “as all things do.” He found he was giving them a genuine smile, and that he believed himself. He didn’t know how the school would come back, but he was sure they would figure it out together.

They all sat around a large table. Scott, Jean and Peter had all taken the offer of coffee and sipped theirs slowly. Ororo and Kurt only sat with hands in their laps, next to each other.

“And what are you two thinking of?” Charles directed his attention to them. He could feel a more fearful energy coming from them than the others.

“Am I going to stay?” Ororo asked quietly.

“Yes...and am I?” Kurt also asked.

“If that’s what you’d like. Why would you not?” Charles understood immediately.They felt they didn't belong.

“We are different. In another way.” Ororo continued. “I’m from Egypt. I was with...him.”

“Listen, everything is going to be alright now. All that matters is what happened at the end. You are good Ororo. And you have a place here if you want it. You as well Kurt.” The two looked to the professor and were only slightly comforted, but they didn’t say anything further. The professor hoped that after today was over they would feel less afraid.

 

After nearly an hour, Moira arrived back in the room with the Director. Only a few minutes after that, Erik was back with the two agents behind him. It was the Director that spoke first.

“Alright. I’m sure we’re all on the same page on wanting these interviews to be done as soon as possible. We’re going to continue with you two, Raven and Hank.” They looked to Lenfeld when they heard their names. “I will interview Raven. Hank, you will be questioned by Mr. Chevez and Mr. King.” Soon enough, they were left alone again.

Moira went directly to the coffee maker, and Erik took his place by the window, obviously not wanting to sit down. Charles pushed a small amount of mental comfort in his direction, but decided to not push any further. Hank’s questioning took about an hour. Raven’s took slightly longer. The agents then split up separately, one of them questioning Scott and the other, Jean. They must have considered the kids less of a threat.

“Okay Professor, it’s you and me.” the Director smiled at him. He responded with a tired one. “It’d be my pleasure,” he said while wheeling himself after her down a hallway. He read her surface thoughts to know that she didn’t have any tricks up her sleeve. She was tired and doing her job, and that included asking everyone what they knew. He remembered to keep a check on everything left behind them still. He would until they were home again, at least.

They eventually reached a room that he could only assume was her office, if not a permanent one it was still hers. There was a desk to the right, a real wooden one. It had neat stacks of paperwork on it, along with a few small knick knacks for decoration. To the left was a tall and wide bookshelf, that covered the entire wall. It was filled with books, with no space for anything else. He could tell that most of the books were of law and government. Others were surprisingly varied in topic, from different sciences and mathematics, a small section of art history.

“We’ll be over here,” Lenfeld said, gesturing to the window. In front of it there was a small table, meant for a casual snack or conversation. To one side of it there was a chair, which is where the Director sat. Charles brought himself to the other side. There was a pitcher of water and two glasses available, and the director poured them each one.

Charles started at the beginning for him. He told her of discovering something happening in Cairo, and investigating it. He told her how En Sabah Nur had taken over his mind through a connection in Erik, and how once it the gateway was open it couldn’t be closed. He chose not to mention Cerebro. He figured she could speculate about it, but he wouldn’t offer any extra information.

He eventually got to the meat of the events: him being taken against his will, the building of the pyramid, En Sabah Nur’s plan to take over his body. He remembered to mention that Stryker had taken several of them hostage after the school’s explosion and locked them away, and that if they hadn’t been freed by Scott, Jean and Kurt- they wouldn’ have made it.

When Director Lenfeld asked questions, he answered. He gave enough details to suffice her, even help, but he didn’t give her any extra details that didn’t pertain to the actual events.

After a little more than two hours, Charles was finding his way back to the others. When he joined them again, Peter was still being questioned, but everyone else had been already. Erik had actually sat down at some point, he was next to Raven and Moira, most of the kids took his place by the window. They were watching people come in and out and talking amongst themselves. After a few minutes Peter was with them again, and Moira left to talk to the director once again- though not for long. She was back with news in only a few minutes.

“Alright! I’m afraid this is where we part ways for now, “she started, the kids all groaned. Charles had known this would be coming. Erik was secretly relieved. “I know, I know. There’s a hotel near here that-”

“I’m so sorry my dear,” Charles interrupted, “ But I’d much rather get on our way back to Westchester. So much to get done, I’d rather us have that part of our journey over with.” He gave her a smile.

“Of course.” She agreed, “We can arrange a flight for you to New York? We have a private plane of course.”

“That sounds perfect, thank you Moira.”

 

Surprisingly, there weren’t any CIA strings attached to them leaving. They accepted a plane to New York after them all saying their goodbyes to Moira and the agents. From there with the help of a rental car, they got into a hotel, about twenty minutes away from the school, in Connecticut. It was a nice three star hotel, that was casual and inviting.

Raven and Charles booked the rooms, three doubles, all the doubles they had. This meant each “room” actually had two bedrooms with a small shared space in the middle. The only setback was each of the individual rooms had one bed each. This left six beds and three couches between them all, which made it so everyone would have their own sleeping space.

Charles thought it was important for them all to have some sort of privacy, considering they would most likely be staying for a while. At least until the school was habitable again. He encouraged everyone to eat a decent meal and to relax when they got into their rooms, having them all order food service on his tab. There was going to be a long day ahead tomorrow.

Charles was surprised when Erik followed him into his room, instead of taking one of his own. Not unpleasantly. He watched Charles get himself onto the bed, laying on top of the covers. When Charles smiled at him, he followed suit and lay against the pillows on the other side of the bed. They let their mental presences slide together without speaking, falling into a comfortable silence while Charles turned on the T.V. He changed through the channels until he found something they could fall asleep to. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the hell of it....

 

 

Did you guys know the school is on google maps? Fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed. In my honest opinion, I think this might have been a more boring chapter. I'm super excited to be back in the states now! 
> 
> Also yeah, the school is on Google maps.


	6. Anew

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They took a walk around the perimeter of grounds. Not much here has changed over the years, and over the past few days (had it really not been even a week yet?) nothing has changed at all. Nature itself was lively, with squirrels running around and birds in flight, but it was a little more lifeless without all of the children. Charles hoped they would be back after the rebuild.

Seeing the ruins of the school, was more overwhelming than originally imagined. The kids were off to the side of the wreckage, with Jean fighting back tears and the others trying to comfort her- fighting down their own emotions. To them, they hadn’t lost a home, but perhaps the possibility of one. To them, they didn’t know how they could possibly rebuild. It was too much.

Charles, in his chair was at the line of the rubble. Near where the front door would be. He stared out at it all, it told a story. Of course he knew the explosion occurred, but since he had been stolen away, he hadn’t a full idea of how it happened or what it looked like. From here, he could see that it had originated from near the location of cerebro. It spider-webbed from that point, in all directions. That’s where Alex died. There would be nothing left of him. He knows from Hank’s mind, that he was trying to stop En Sabah Nur..and Erik.

Alex, always the hero. He wondered what Alex would say to Erik standing next to him now. About time? Too little too late? He would take a swing at him if he was here. Maybe at Charles too.

 

Hank and Raven were walking amongst it all, scavenging what they could. It wasn’t much. Raven found a handful of books, burnt on the edges and wet from a rain but not completely destroyed. It seemed petty to her, but she found herself with an intense need to recover something, anything. There were a lot of pieces of things, and clothes. Things like silverware, broken decor- things that were better off replaced. These books: an encyclopedia (one from the middle of a series, by the looks of it,) a book of fairytales, and a copy of the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde.

Luckily, Hank found one of his lock boxes from his lab. It was a heavy and sturdy thing, and he called for Erik to bring it where the professor sat. Inside was the serum, and three pints of blood from everyone in the school, in case of the need for an emergency transfusion. It was a big box.

Soon enough after sanitizing his skin, Hank was back to his smaller, human looking self.

“I’m surprised they didn’t find and take this,” he spoke to Charles. “It’s obvious they searched through all the rubble, for clues. There’s almost no lab equipment anywhere, and I don’t see any pieces of cerebro. Though, I suppose they could be buried still. Part of me doubts it.”

“It’s still too early to tell, though I would not be surprised.” He responded, exasperation in his voice.

“What are we going to do, Charles?” It was Erik. Hank and Charles looked to Erik, both surprised, though in different amounts, about his readiness to help. He’s been saying he was here to do just that, but up until now, perhaps they both thought he would reconsider.

_Not taking me on my word, Charles?_

There was no anger detected in his mental voice, only slight amusement. Charles smiled at the two of them, and at Raven as she approached. She waved the books at him, giving a tentative smile herself. Soon enough, Scott and the others came over to them. Jean’s eyes were dry now.

“What we’re going to do, is start anew,” Charles started. “We are going to rebuild, with each other. Before we begin, we’ll talk about what we all need from our new home.”

“We aren’t going to just build it the same?” Jean asked.

“There will no doubt be some similarities, out of usefulness or nostalgia, but I feel we should all focus on the future now. Too many distractions from our past may get in the way of that.”

“I think the future is the best focus,” Erik said quietly, as if speaking this way, in hope for the future was new to him. In many ways it was.

“I think it needs more trees,” said Scott, laughing.

“Yes, I think it does,” Charles joined him.

 

Together, they stayed through the lunch hour, discussing plans for the grounds and the house to be built. Tomorrow, they would start reconstruction. It wouldn’t look like much at first, they would have to remove all of the old to make a place for the new. With Erik’s help, it wouldn’t be as difficult as it would otherwise be. Jean would be able to help with the non-metallic. The rest would be done with their own effort.

 

They took a walk around the perimeter of grounds. Not much here has changed over the years, and over the past few days (had it really not been even a week yet?) nothing has changed at all. Nature itself was lively, with squirrels running around and birds in flight, but it was a little more lifeless without all of the children. Charles hoped they would be back after the rebuild.

They reached to the point of the running track, and began to turn around. Charles and Erik strayed behind.

“I remember this track, all too well,” Erik gave a soft laugh.

“As do I,” Charles agreed.

“So many sweaty mornings, running before six in the morning.”

“Ah yes, running. A fond memory.” Erik quieted at that, and Charles followed suit, not sure in what to say. He hadn’t meant anything harsh by it, running was indeed a good memory. He wished he still could. Now, he lost himself in alternative exercise and his work at the school. He sent a reassuring mental thought to the other man, and received one soaked in apology back.

It was about time they got back to the cars.

 

Charles did consider hiring extra help to speed the cleanup process, and perhaps he would. For now though, it would be by mutants and for mutants- even if it took much, much longer. He mentioned this to both Hank and Erik once in the car, and they surprisingly both agreed. At the same time.

There was still much more to do after they left the school grounds. Charles began to feel drained of energy, and so the group split. Erik stayed at the hotel with him, naturally. Hank and Raven took their two cars on an outing with Scott, Peter, Jean, Ororo and Kurt. Jean was able to keep Kurt unnoticeable except to them, though she wished she didn’t have to.

It was beyond time for them to get into new clothes, ones they could call their own. That was the first order of business. Everyone was all smiles, getting to spend the professor’s money with virtually no limit. They were able to feel like themselves again after picking out their own new wardrobe.

Hank was tasked with gathering clothes for the absent men, trying to pick out as neutral or cold tones as possible for Erik, and earthy ones for the professor. He considered picking out a turtleneck for Erik to be funny, but thought better of it.

 

Almost immediately after arriving back to the hotel, Charles laid down for a nap, saying he wouldn’t be too long. He wasn’t very convincing. Erik considered following him, but chose to sit on the couch in the living room of the double room they were in. Kurt’s room was across from theirs, they shared this space in between. He turned on the T.V. so he wasn’t sitting in complete silence. There was a show on, about sea life. He didn’t pay much attention to it, only followed the movement with his eyes. A squid swam across the screen.

He thought about tomorrow, and his skin crawled, but not with disgust. Fear? He denied it. What was he afraid of? Disappointing the others, to begin with. Failing them, like he failed Magda. And Nina. He would keep failing those he held dear. Why was he even here? He was meant to be alone.

_No one is meant to be alone, Erik._

_Then why am I always?_

_I’m here with you. For as long as you’ll let me be._

Erik felt something build in his chest that he didn’t trust, so he didn’t answer for several seconds.

_I thought you were sleeping?_

_I tried, not as tired as I thought._

_Well try harder._

_What, you don’t want to talk to me? I’m hurt._

Erik couldn’t help but smile, and he knew the moment Charles felt it.

_Are you going to stay out there pretending to watch the daily life of squids?_

He laughed now, softly, as he seems to do most things lately, and prepared himself to get up and go to Charles. That was the exact moment that Raven burst through the door, with Kurt at her side. They were both lost in laughter and had bags hanging off both arms, including a sack of chinese food that she tossed at Erik.

“Hello boys, food delivery at your service. Extra egg rolls like you like. Don’t expect this to be a habit.” She gave him a look, and sat down the rest of the bags further into the room. He could see they were full of clothes and other random things, to apparently help them make this place into a home. He briefly wondered what the bill was going to look like, but then decided it wasn’t his worry.

“Of course it’s not your worry,” Charles was at the doorway in his chair, his eyes on the food.

“Oh brother dear, you’ve awakened,” Raven teased.

“I would have to have slept to awaken.”

“It’s too early for sleep, professor. The day is still young!” Kurt exclaimed excitedly, heading to his room. He was lucky enough that he didn’t have to share with someone.

 

Erik watched the banter between Raven and Charles, thinking back to when that was more normal than anything else. He hadn’t had any idea how much he was going to miss having that in his life. He caught Charles’ eyes on him at a laugh, and was offered a smile, and offered a pint of rice and an egg roll in return.

It would never be enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it was a little late! It's also a little shorter. I was trying not to rush-write it but I ended up doing that anyway. I'm hoping to make the next chapter a little longer. 
> 
> If you've read this far, thank you so much!


	7. Sweat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They would probably finish tomorrow, and then be able to start building.

Opening his eyes to see Erik’s face in front of his, his head resting on a pillow- it was a wonder. Charles took care to memorize the features of the sleeping man’s face. Of course, he could never forget the face from years ago, but this was new and different. After so long, this was something else entirely.

His brows furrowed while he slept, which is one thing that hadn’t changed at all. Despite his distrust in everything, he looked like he at least believed he could believe in their safety- for now. As long as they stayed together. How long did Erik plan on staying? It was something he has been asking himself every day. At the end of every night, he hopes that Erik will stay one more day, and so far he has. He’s no longer so naive to think that he will stay forever..

“Stop thinking,” Erik yawned, “so early in the morning.”

“Sorry..,” Charles grumbled back. They are still facing one another, just a few inches apart, slowly waking but resisting full consciousness. They let their eyes melt into each other in the morning sun, Charles’ blue like the sky on a bright, bright day; Erik’s blue like the ocean, the ocean right before dusk.

_Good morning._

_Good morning to you, Erik._

Warmth. They both let their natural smiles out, Charles’ being more common than the other man’s. Only a few select few knew what a truly happy, relaxed Erik looked like. In this moment, he was that. After they left this bubble of calm they shared, it would be hidden back away.

Charles was right about Erik. They had started the renovation of the school just three days ago, Erik leading in the task as much as Charles. Being there for them all, with his powers and as a solid figure that could be looked upon as a friend. He wasn’t sure Hank would call him that out loud, but it was true. The children trusted him, that he knew. They have gotten so much done in such a short amount of time, and he knew that wouldn’t have been as possible without Erik. They’ve only focused on removal so far, though he had high hopes about starting the building soon.

Hank and he have been working hard on blueprints for the new layout, and he was sure enough that they would be finished later today, or tomorrow. They started with the old blueprints, and built upon them- rearranging some things.

Later today, midday they would drive back out to the grounds. Now, it was still early. Erik shifted, but still on his side, just a bit closer. Charles slowly brought a hand up, and let the back of his fingers caress Erik’s cheek. Just a light touch. The past couple days, they would allow themselves this, here and there.

Before Charles could lift his hand away, Erik grasped it and held it in his own, lying them between their chests. He leaned forward and placed a tender but short kiss upon the other man’s lips. It surprised them both.

 

Hank woke fairly fast. His body had a habit of waking him after it was fully rested, not leaving much desire for sleeping longer than necessary. He did have a lot to do today. They weren’t leaving for the school quite yet, a few hours to go. It was only a little after eight in the morning, the kids were most likely not even stirring. He shared his double room with Scott and Peter.

He was thankful for a room to himself. The boys alternated between the couch and the bed in the other room, taking turns. That was a fair arrangement, especially considering that they were teenage boys, and teenage boys in his experience weren’t well made for sharing. He knows that he wouldn’t have been keen to giving up a bed.

It seemed that this morning, it was Peter on the couch. The T.V. was on to morning cartoons, the boy still asleep. There was a cafe on the first floor, and Hank made his way down after getting dressed. He took a window seat for his coffee and a muffin.

 

Raven woke with the first glimpse of light, as she has for many years now. She remembered loving to sleep into late morning, or early afternoon. Even if she tried now, she was too well adjusted to this new schedule to manage it. She started with some morning stretches, and continued to a few reps of both push ups and sit ups. She itched to do a run, but there wasn’t a track or trail nearby and she wasn’t one to take to the sidewalk.

After her exercises she finished her morning routine with a shower and getting dressed. She then started on her way to the cafe, where she knew Hank was. That’s where he ended up at this time every morning. Jean and Ororo shared the other room, across from hers. They decided they didn’t mind sharing what was a pretty large bed. It was the choice Raven would have made if she had to decide. She once heard the boys teasing them about it, but she also heard the girls teasing them about being afraid to share with another boy. This was amusing, and again she had to agree.

 

It was decided that Charles would stay at the hotel, and work on the blueprints further. If he concentrated, they may be done that day. The rest of the group, including Erik continued out to the school grounds. They were very close to being done with the removal. There was not even much metal left to remove, but he wanted to help physically.

Jean handled many of the larger things, but the goal in team work was to work together, with the addition of not letting Jean push her powers too far. She was as good as completely healed from spending all her psychic energy last week, but it was still a good idea to not strain.

Kurt used his teleportation some of the time, Hank used his super strength, Raven transformed herself into a stronger being- it was going well. Everyone else did it the old fashioned way, lifting and sweating- a lot.

They would probably finish tomorrow, and then be able to start building. They still had to calculate what they needed to build, in terms of lumber and other materials. Putting it all together would be mostly the job of both Erik and Jean, so the girl would needs some rest in between removal and building. Erik, no one was worried about. After the structure was secure would come the fun part: furnishing and decorating. Some of it would take some time to get back into order, like Hank’s lab. Most of it would be easy, only a real hit to the Xavier bank account. The account would still do better than survive, but this was going to take more than six digits on a check. No one worried about that today, they would have plenty of time to worry later.

Once the sun reached its peak point in the sky, signaling the fast move to dinner time, everyone reached their limit for the day. Drenched in sweat, they left what was starting to feel like home, to surprise the professor with pizza.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's a little short....and very late. I've had a lot going on lately, including getting sick as well as having to take my cat to the vet. So with a lack of time and not the right head space, it's been slow going. I'm determined not to give up though!
> 
> Even though it's shorter I hope this chapter is a little less rushed/a better read than the last one. 
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me. :)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Any comments or suggestions are appreciated. I don't write on this site often, but I have some stuff in my head I gotta get out. I'm starting on chapter two, so hopefully soon that will be a thing. :)


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